Fish-plate for coupling railroad-rails



Patented Oct. 25, I898.

No. 6l3,l00.

J. C. WIGGINS. FISH PLATE FOR BGUPL ING RAILROAD RAILS.

(Application filed may 27, 1897. (N0 MudeI.). 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

whom

Pat ented Oct. 25, I898.

J. C. WIGGINS. FISH PLATE FOR COUPLING RAILROAD RAILS.

(Application filed May 27, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

0177, 32/ 7'44 VIM 064M.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OSlAI-I C. WIGGINS, OF EUPORA, MISSISSIPPI.

FISH-PLATE FOR COUPLING RAILROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,100, dated October 25, 1898. Application filed May 27, 1897. Serial No. 638,444. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSIAH C. Wrecms, of Eupora, in the county of Webster and State Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Plates for Coupling Railroad-Rails; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Fish-plates which unite the meeting ends of railroad-rails are usually connected therewith by threaded bolts and nuts, nut-lock devices being provided to prevent the nuts working loose or dropping off, and as these nut-locks are not always effective in operation considerable difficulty is experienced in keeping the fish-plates in position and the rail ends secured.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction of fish-plates and bolts wherein the employment of nutsis dispensed with and a simple and eifective construction of interlocking means substituted, which insures the retention of the bolts under all circumstances.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is an elevation view of the outer side of the rail, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front and Fig. 4; a rear perspective view of the outer fish-plate; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail view of the wedge or washer plate, and Fig. 6 an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the bolts.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 2 designate the meeting ends of two adjoining rails to which my invention is applied.

3 designates the inside fish-plate, which is curved or swaged to conform substantially to the contour of the side of the rail and is provided with a series of bolt-openings 4 and at its lower edge with spike-receivin g notches 5. It is also provided on its inner face with a lon gitudinally-extendin g shoulder 5,adapted to abut against the edge of the base-flange of the rail, as shown.

6 designates the outer fish-plate,which is also curved to correspond with the contour of the side of the rail and is provided at 'its lower edge with spike-receivin g notches 7 and at its upper edge with vertical bolt-receiving slots 8. The inner face of this outer fish-plate is provided with a longitudinally-extending shoulder 9, against which the lower edge of the wedge-plate or washer-plate 10 is adapted to abut. This wedge-plate is provided with a series of openings 11 to receive the bolt-shanks and has its lower edge beveled to a point 12, as shown, to fit snugly against the said shoulder and lie substantially flush with the inner surface of the outer fish-plate. The bolts 13 are formed, as usual, with an enlarged head 14 and a shank 15. I form the end of the shank with a head 16 by slots 17, which also cause the formation of a neck 18 in rear of said head.

The fish-plate 3 is placed on the inner side of the rails and the bolts 14 passed through the openings therein and the bolt-openings 19 in the rails, said bolt-openings being made of greater diameter than the bolt in order to provide for contraction and expansion. The wedge-plate or washer-plate 10 is then slipped over the projecting ends of the bolt-shanks and the bolts turned, so that the slots 1'7 are disposed in a vertical plane. The outer fishplate 6 is then placed in position with its slot portions 8 immediately below the neck 18 of the bolt, and is then forced upward to bring the said neck into the said vertical slot portion 8 and thus interpose itself between the shank-head 16 of the boltsand the washer or wedge plate. When this is done, the outer fish-plate is securely held in position and cannot be removed except by forcing the plate downward out of contact therewith, and thus all danger of the disconnection of the parts by vibration of the rails is entirely obviated. When the parts are thus connected, also, the shoulder 5 on the outer fish plate abuts against the side edge of the rail and the point extremity 12 of the washer-plate also abuts against said shoulder, while the upper edge of said washer-plate bears against the under side of the rail-head,and thus effectually holds the said parts in close engagement.

Wedge-plate or washer-plate interposed between the said outer fish-plate and the side of the rail and provided with a beveled lower edge adapted to abut against the said shoulder on the outer fish-plate and the upper edge thereof adapted to bear against the under side of the rail-head, and bolts passing through openings in the inner fish-plate, rails, and Washer-plate and having their shanks formed with heads and necks in rear thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOSIAH O. WIGGINS. Witnesses:

J. W. BRANNON, H. A. GOULD. 

